Aly's Newsletter: Happy Friday Eve!
But it's still Thursday, and there's a whole heck of a lot going on.
Good morning, friends!
First of all, in honor of today being Veterans Day, and celebrating veterans, I wanted to share something amazing I found in my parents' house a while back.
It's my grandfather's (obviously oft-used) prayer book from World War II!
To anyone with a veteran in your life, or who may yourself be a veteran, please take advantage of some of these Veterans Day food freebies and deals I rounded up for the Today Show. While none of us can begin to thank you for the incredible sacrifices you've made, the very least we can do is make sure you have some great food today.
What a busy week this has been! In the last three days, I've hosted a virtual caviar-tasting event, attended three Zoom events, attended an in-person media dinner, and wrote about 10 stories.
Here are some highlights from a DELISH Paul John Whisky dinner I attended at Baar Baar in NYC a few nights ago...
That's not a humble brag at all, but to say...if I haven't been as quick to answer emails or respond to messages, there's a reason. I barely have time to groom this week!
Last night, I attended a wine-tasting zoom double header (as in one brand’s wine zoom and then another brand’s wine zoom, right after it. ) I wanted to share though how BOTH did a great job of making their event truly unique.
I won't lie - I have been to...many dozens...of wine zooms in the past year and a half. At one point, several a week. (Hey, life was hard!) - and generally many involve wine tasting, and talking about the wine we're tasting. It's great, but of course, it can feel a bit monotonous after a while.
But last night, one wine tasting incorporated a virtual dinner party element. Everyone was sent a gift card to order from their favorite local restaurant (thereby supporting local restaurants!), and then during the Zoom, we all discussed how the food we chose paired with the wine they sent. It was fun and interesting to see what everyone chose to go with the same wine!
Next, I attended a wine tasting where a chef led us in a lesson on how to make a rather holiday-appropriate dish while we tasted the wine (which of course paired with that dish). That was super fun and I now have a new recipe in my repertoire.
All in all, a great night, but also a busy night, in what is a busy week that's not losing any steam any time soon...
Here's what I'm working on today:
1 - For YourTango, I'm rounding up Hanukkah books for kids (at major online retailers, so think stuff available on Amazon). I'm interested in both pitches of books and also people sharing commentary on their fave Hanukkah books.
2 - For Spy.com, I'm still looking for great spots online to buy a Christmas tree, and also great Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals at Home Depot, as well as deals on appliances (at major retailers).
(Reminder: I share my fresh batch of assignments from Spy every Friday, so look at tomorrow's newsletter for what I'll be working on over the weekend and next week!)
Here what has published in the last few days:
Clean Plates
Healthy (but Still Tasty!) Versions of 7 Classic Thanksgiving Recipes
Food Network
Is Heinz’s Holiday Dinner in A Can the Answer to Our Problems?
All We Want for Christmas Is Mariah Carey’s New McDonald's Menu
This Wrapping Paper Smells Just Like Bacon
Goalcast
Alert Stranger Notices Missing Girl’s Secret Hand Gesture – Acts Quickly And Saves Her From Abductor
The Kitchn
3 Things We Learned from Watching Dorie Greenspan Create a French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu
Orbitz
Hotels from the 1920s that bring a Roaring ’20s style to the 2020s
Spy.com
Are You Ready? The 35 Essential Emergency Supplies You Need To Survive Any Disaster in 2021
Today.com
No time to shop? Order one of these Thanksgiving meal kits
Where to get a free turkey for Thanksgiving
Have the best day!
<3
aly